A cool breeze ran through Kyle’s hair, sending a small shiver down his spine. Though it wasn’t uncomfortably cold, it was a stark change from the heat of the Badlands. A small trickle of light made its way past his closed eyelids, causing him to frown in annoyance. He had been having a good dream about… well, to be honest, he didn’t actually remember.
Nor could he quite remember where he was, or how he had gotten there. His brow furrowed further, though his eyes remained closed in the hope that sleep would return to him. Memories began to return to him - a small trickle, but steadily growing in speed. Chrysalis, dead at his feet. The Sha of Treachery’s death. The battle with the Sha of Hatred. His own death…
Kyle’s eyes flew open, and he bolted upright. Instantly, his hands grasped at his lower abdomen, where the Sha of Hatred had punched a hole in him. Rather than empty space, however, his hands were met with hard leather, and below that, solid flesh. Something, somehow, had mended his wounds.
His breathing began to return to normal as he came to the realization that he did not, in fact, have a hole through his stomach. He turned his gaze outward, examining his surroundings. He was sitting in the middle of a lush, green field, on top of a small hill. Next to him, a large oak tree was the only non-grass vegetation in sight. Gently rolling hills surrounded him, stretching out to the horizon. Above him, the full moon shone high in the sky. Thousands upon countless thousands of stars joined it, illuminating the ground in a pale white light.
Kyle slowly stood up. He began to wander away, off into the fields. Over and over again, he tried to recall how he had arrived here, but each time found himself unable to remember. He quickly lost sight of the tree, though he made sure to remember which way to go to return to it. Minutes dragged on, and he soon lost track of time. Not even the moon could help him determine how long he had been wandering, as it remained directly overhead, never moving.
It was the very definition of a perfect late summer evening. The breeze blew past him once more, this time pleasantly cool. The air was humid, but not to the point of being muggy. The night sky was completely devoid of any cloud cover, allowing the stars and moon to shine down in all their brilliance. The first drops of dew had begun to form on the grass, reflecting and refracting the starlight from above.
And yet, for all the beauty, Kyle could not help but feel a pang of sadness as he wandered. This place… it was very reminiscent of a favorite location of his during his childhood. A stretch of land southwest of Stratholme, untamed by humanity and yet not wild or dangerous. Peaceful and relaxing. In his youth, when visiting the city, he had often slipped away to play in the rolling green fields. But that land was long gone by now, twisted into the vile fungal forest known now as Plaguewood.
And like Plaguewood, this place seemed uninhabited. Though it was deep in the evening, the only creature around appeared to be him. No crickets chirped, no owls swooped overhead in search of prey. He was alone, in every sense of the word. If he hadn’t known better, he would have believed that he was the first creature to set foot in this place.
So how in the world had he gotten here?
“Is... is this what death is like?” he found himself asking.
“Nay, Mr. Slater. You are not dead. Not yet.”
Kyle had certainly not been expecting a reply to his question. He swiveled around on the spot towards the sound of the voice, his fists instinctively raised. Rather than appearing threatening, however, the creature that he spotted was soothingly familiar.
“Princess Luna?” Kyle said as he lowered his fists. “What are you doing here?” Wherever here is. He added silently.
The lunar princess did not reply, but simply moved forward. She stood next to Kyle and turned around to face the same direction he was, staring off into the night sky. For a long moment, there was silence, broken only by the soft rustle of grass in the wind.
Finally, he could bear the silence no longer. “Where are we?” he asked.
“This is the Dreamscape,” Luna replied. “My domain. From here, I may observe the dreams of others,”
“… So, you’re sure I’m not dead?”
“Not yet, Mr. Slater.” She smiled. “The injuries which would have killed you have been mended. The pain will linger for a few days, but you are very much alive.”
“But that’s impossible!” Kyle exclaimed. “I had a hole the size of my fist through my stomach! There’s nothing that can -”
“Nothing of mortal creation, no,” Luna agreed. “Not even Alicorn magic could have healed such grievous wounds. But there is power far beyond what I and my sister are capable of.”
Kyle’s eyes flashed with recognition. “The Crystal Heart!”
“Indeed.” Luna smiled. “The Crystal Heart. When the Sha of Hatred was defeated, the corruption within the heart was dispelled. Due in no small part to your actions. Princess Twilight reported that, when the Heart was brought close to you, your wounds simply mended themselves before their eyes.”
Silence followed. The wind rustling through the grass was the only sound, save for the steady breathing of Luna and Kyle. But once again, Kyle found that he could not let the silence last. “But, if I’m not dead… then why am I here? Where is this Dreamscape?”
“The Dreamscape is not so much a ‘where’ as a ‘what’,” Luna replied. “For it has no tangible, physical location. You are not truly here, nor am I, for there is no ‘here’ to be. Rather, our consciousnesses have entered this… place, for lack of a better term.”
“The Dreamscape is the collective unconsciousness of all living creatures. This… again, lack of a better term, place… touches the mind of all living creatures. If one were to find themselves in the Dreamscape, they would be able to see into the minds of others.”
“Thankfully, it is almost impossible to enter this place, for it does not truly exist,” she continued. “To my knowledge, only I have the ability to enter and exit the Dreamscape as I wish, or bring others here, and even my access is limited. I may only visit the minds of those who are unconscious or asleep, when their minds drift closest to the Dreamscape. While my physical body remains in Canterlot, my mind enters the Dreamscape. From here, I normally visit the dreams of others who are sleeping and dreaming, helping them deal with any inner turmoils if necessary. I like to think of this as my realm, even if it isn’t.”
“So… You’re the only one who can enter and leave at will?” Kyle asked. Luna nodded in confirmation. “Right. So how did I get here?”
“A good question,” Luna nodded. “I must admit, Mr. Slater, I was… watching you, in a sense. Not your mind, so much as the state of your mind. I became quite alarmed when you suddenly fell unconscious. I feared that something terrible had happened. I drew your mind to the Dreamscape in the hopes that it might forestall whatever tragedy had befallen you, though I suspect that you would have survived regardless of my intervention.”
“What do you mean, ‘drew my mind in’? Why?”
“To be quite frank… I panicked,” Luna admitted. “I held the possibility that drawing your mind here would have kept your spirit alive had your body become uninhabitable… though whether it would have worked, or what would have happened afterwards, I am unsure.”
“Well… thanks… I think…” Kyle muttered. “So you brought me here, and then found out what happened, and then came back? Just how long have I been here?”
“Twelve hours in the waking world.”
“Twelve hours…" Kyle smirked. "Well, I guess I needed to catch up on my beauty sleep anyway.”
“After everything you have done? I would imagine so,” Luna agreed with a smile. “Your actions in these past few months have altered the fate of our world. Had you not arrived, I suspect we would all be dead by now, or worse. Instead, we have emerged victorious, with relatively few losses. And along the way, we have made a number of new allies with your help. On behalf of myself, my sister, and all of Equus, I thank you.”
“But, no matter how much sleep you may need, I would imagine your friends are worried,” she added. “Perhaps now would be a good time to return you to the waking world.”
“Whenever you’re ready.”
Luna’s horn lit up with a deep, dark blue light. The wind swirled through the grass around her, stirring up Kyle’s hair as it wrapped around her horn. “I shall see you in Canterlot when you return.”
Her horn flashed, and Kyle saw darkness once more.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As Kyle returned to consciousness, he almost wished that he had died.
Everything on him hurt. Whereas in the Dreamscape he had felt no pain, now it felt as though he had been trampled by a herd of Elekk. His head was throbbing, his arms and legs felt like a set of superheated lead weights, his chest was on fire, and he would have sworn that the hole through his stomach was still there. But, as he gingerly moved his arm down to his lower abdomen, he was once more met with solid flesh.
He felt a gentle movement beneath him, and felt the surface upon which he rested. His hands were met with wooden planks. A sudden jolt rattled him, and he heard the sound of wheels and axles turning beneath him. It took his sluggish mind nearly a full minute to deduce that he was laying in the back of a cart, being pulled along by something.
He cracked his eyes open slightly, allowing a sliver of light to enter his retinas. The images that entered his eyes were fuzzy and unintelligible, but slowly it became sharper. Above him, the stars shone brightly - a glorious display of lights that somehow seemed brighter and more radiant than ever before. The faint sliver of the waxing moon could be seen just over the corner of the wooden cart in which he lay.
And that’s when it hit him.
He was alive.
The realization of this one simple fact, a fact he had known yet not fully recognized, sent shivers down his spine. Unable to stop himself, he began to laugh, for no other reason than he was alive. His laughter was quickly silenced by the pain in his chest, and he was wracked by a rough coughing spasm that ended in a groan.
“Wha…” A voice just to Kyle’s left reached his ears. He let his head fall so that he was looking towards the source of the voice. A pair of Pegasi lay on the other side of the cart, curled up next to one another. The smaller one was orange, while the larger was cyan blue. Again, his foggy mind took several seconds to put the pieces together - it was Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash.
The larger Pegasus had raised her head up, and was glancing about groggily. “Whos’ere?” she slurred sleepily. Her gaze passed over Kyle, and finally met his own.
Instantly, she was wide awake. “Sweet Celestia! He’s alive!” she cried out. “Twilight, get over here!”
A heartbeat later, the rustle of wings filled the air. Something heavy landed on the cart near Kyle’s feet, and a dim purple glow lit up the area. Kyle slowly pushed himself backwards until he felt something solid against his head, and pushed himself into a sitting position with his back resting against the end of the back of the cart. He directed his attention to the newcomer, who was staring at him slack-jawed and wide-eyed.
Kyle couldn’t help but chuckle again, no matter how painful it was. “You look like you’ve just seen a ghost, Twi.” He leaned back against the back of the cart and relaxed himself. “So, what’s up?”
A purple blur connected with his cheek. He found himself sprawled across the floor of the cart, sporting a distinctly hoof-shaped mark across his face. “Gah!” he yelped, clutching his cheek tightly. “What the hell was that for?!”
“Don’t you EVER do something like that again!” Twilight yelled angrily. “We thought you were dead!”
Kyle winced as he gingerly removed his hand from his face. Though the pain all throughout his body was already beginning to fade, the latest blow from Twilight still stung something fierce, and he had the distinct feeling that the mark would still be visible in the morning. She hadn’t held back with that swing.
Still, he couldn’t help but let the smirk return to his face. “Aw, she’s worried about me,” he teased. “Didn’t know you cared so much.”
Kyle heard a small snicker from Rainbow Dash as Twilight’s face scrunched up. He could have sworn he saw a couple of hairs in her mane begin to smolder as she glared at him. She opened her mouth and took a deep breath…
And caught sight of the mischievous grin on Kyle’s face. She lowered her head and let out a great sigh. “Well, at least we know your sense of humor hasn’t changed,” she muttered. “Still, you nearly got yourself killed out there! If Rainbow Dash hadn’t mentioned the Crystal Heart, you would have!”
“Well, it was either do what I did, or watch as Alp’tauum was reborn and die anyway,” Kyle countered. “Either I die… or I die along with the rest of the world. Pretty easy choice in my book.” He pushed himself back into a sitting position and glanced at the final occupant of the cart, who was still asleep. “How’s she doing?”
“She took a bit of a beating there at the end,” Rainbow Dash replied. “But nothing too serious. Hit her head, but she’ll be alright in a couple of days. Doc says she just needs some rest.”
Kyle let out a small yawn, the adrenaline from Twilight’s blow finally wearing off. “Make that two of us,” he said sleepily. “But I can wait a minute more. How about everyone else?”
“We lost a few Ponies and a few Azerothians during the fight. Quite a few, actually,” Twilight admitted. “The Changelings were better prepared than we expected. But all of our friends are okay. Only Rainbow Dash and I were actually fighting. Rarity and Fluttershy were tending to the wounded, Applejack was helping to repair some of the damaged armor, and Pinkie was directing those… watchamacallits.”
“Mortars?”
“Yeah, mortars.”
“What about Shade and Amber and their crews?”
“Some bumps and bruises, a few cuts here and there, but nothing they can’t shrug off. Or so they say.”
“And Qu - Empress Yxia?”
Twilight and Rainbow Dash exchanged a quick glance. “She and her Changelings elected to remain behind,” Twilight explained. “Not surprising, really. She needs to pick up the pieces of her empire and re-establish order.”
“Well with the Sha gone, hopefully the Changeling Empire won’t become a threat again,” Kyle mused.
“It’ll always be a threat, really,” Twilight corrected. “But Yxia seems to have a level head on her. More so than Chrysalis did. I don’t think we’ll have to worry about another invasion of Canterlot or Crystal Empire again.”
“But how are they going to feed?” Kyle asked. “With all of the anti-Changeling security going around…”
“Oh, I’m sure we can convince Princess Celestia that the Changeling threat has passed.” Rainbow Dash smiled slightly. “Maybe she’ll loosen some of the security measures. Give the guards some time off…”
Kyle chuckled. “Sounds like a plan,” he agreed. He let out a second, larger yawn, feeling exhaustion wash over him once more. But there where two more things that he needed to hear about first. “So, what about the Crystal Heart? And the Empire?”
“The Heart is going to be examined by all of the Princesses to make sure all of the Sha’s taint is gone. Once we’re sure it’s safe, it’ll be returned to the city. The shield will be raised once more, and everypony can go home.”
“Alright. And what about the Sha Crystals?” he asked. “What are we going to do with them?”
“Well, there’s a few options,” Twilight mused. “We could seal them away in some place where they would never be found again. Tartarus, maybe. Or we could look for a way to destroy them, though I doubt we’d ever be able to do that. Or…”
“Or?”
“Or… we could use them to fuel the portal,” she said slowly. “With all six crystals, I can make the portal linking our two worlds self-sustaining. A permanent portal to connect Equus and Azeroth. Which would be really useful, seeing as we’re now a part of this Alliance of yours.”
“Plus, it would be awesome!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. “I mean, come on! A whole new world to explore!” She let out an exaggerated gasp. “An entire world where they’ve never seen any of my tricks! Oh we’ve got to fix that!”
“Plenty of time for that,” Kyle chuckled. He turned his attention back to Twilight. “So, what’s the plan now?”
“Well, we’re headed to Canterlot,” Twilight replied, motioning with one hoof behind Kyle. He turned his head and peered over the back of the cart. Sure enough, the large mountain rose out of the ground not far away, with the city lights contrasting brilliantly against the night sky. “After that,” Twilight continued, “I think we’re going to discuss a few of those last lingering issues you mentioned. The portal the Sha Crystals, the Changeling Empire… all of that.”
“And then I’ll probably be going.”
“Huh?” Rainbow Dash’s head whipped towards him. “What do you mean?”
“Well Dash, I’m a soldier,” Kyle reminded her. “In the army. And with the war against the Changelings done, there’s no need for the army to stay here. I’ll probably be headed out to Draenor to fight Garrosh Hellscream again.”
“What?” Rainbow Dash’s wings sprang open, and her eyes went wide as saucers. “Dude, you can’t leave! You’re too awesome! Well, I mean, not as awesome as me, but still! Don’t you like it here?”
“I do,” Kyle replied immediately. He had to pause as another great yawn escaped him. “But I’ve… always been a soldier. It’s what I’m good at.”
“And what about Scootaloo?” Twilight asked.
This gave Kyle a pause. His position as Scootaloo’s mentor did make things a bit more complicated. He couldn’t exactly take her with him either - Not only was she too young for such a hate-filled war, but King Varian would likely never allow it.
But his mind seemed unwilling to tackle such a dilemma at the time. His eyes began to droop, and he yawned once more. “Well… I’ll figure it out,” he mumbled. “Tomorrow. Right now… *yawn*... right now, I need some sleep.”
“Alright. We’ll wake you up once we get to Canterlot.”
Kyle laid himself back down on the wooden floor as Twilight took wing once more, flying back over to the cart she had been riding in previously. Despite the hard surface and the rough bumps that jittered him, Kyle quickly found himself lost in sleep once more.